MOUNT GILEAD – The striking white markings above Cinder the cat’s eyes were not there when she was born.

They were the result of a fire when the 2-year-old black cat was a kitten. Dr. Martha Mooney, who runs Maple Grove Veterinary Clinic, explained the hair came back white because of trauma to the follicles.

Cinder is lucky to be alive — and lucky Mooney came across her path.

Mooney was driving home from a medical appointment in the summer of 2012 when she saw a barn fire and stopped to see if she could help. Mooney used to work with large livestock.

The heifers were fine. Cinder was not.

All four of her feet were seared. She eventually lost the tips of both ears and her tail.

“She was pretty well crispy,” Mooney said. “We thought we were bringing her here to be put to sleep.”

To Mooney’s surprise, Cinder pulled through.

“She was tough,” the veterinarian said.

When Cinder healed, Mooney and her staff decided to keep her as an office cat.

“Nobody was good enough after we took care of her,” Mooney said.

Cinder shares the facility with two much more mature cats, ages 15 and 16. She has the run of the place during the day and stays in a cage at night.

“The older cats get a little tired of her,” Mooney said. “She’ll mellow out eventually. She’s still just a kitten.”

During a recent visit, the older cats were in their respective beds while Cinder played on the floor. She’s especially fond of a fishing app on a staff member’s iPhone.

When a reporter and a photographer showed up Tuesday afternoon, Cinder was lounging on an office chair, paying no attention to two excitable dogs that were clients of the clinic.

“She doesn’t care,” Mooney said. “She’ll walk right up to a dog.”

Mooney, who has been a vet for 36 years, said Cinder is a conversation piece for her clients.

The vet said some of her staffers have a love-hate relationship with Cinder.

“She steals things,” Mooney said. “She gets in the way sometimes.”

Mooney and her daughter, practice manager Allegra Waldron, both describe Cinder as “ornery.”